You've reached your free article limit.

Become a Soccer America Pro member today to get complete website access to all articles and all discussions and receive all of Soccer America’s newsletters for just $2.91 for three months.

This premium subscription level includes Soccer America Daily, Soccer on TV, Soccer Talk, the Game Report and Soccer America Confidential. Soccer America Pro members may read, share and comment on all articles from these paid premium newsletters.

Your email address has been verified. Enjoy your free articles.

Commentary

Be on the lookout for anxiety in young athletes

According to the National Institute for Mental
Health, it’s estimated that about 32% of all adolescents in the USA have some form of anxiety and about 8% have what would be classified as severe anxiety.

It shouldn’t
be surprising then that the estimates for anxiety disorders in young athletes is also high.

While there are only a limited number of high-quality studies about anxiety specific to the athletic
population, it’s still estimated that more than 30% of collegiate student-athletes have experienced overwhelming anxiety.

The exact mechanisms in which this happens are unknown, but it’s clear that recognition and
treatment are critical.

The good news is that when anxiety and depression are recognized, they can be successfully treated and lead to substantial improvements in quality of life. As coaches,
parents, and teammates we can go a long way to helping those in need by recognizing possible signs of anxiety or depression.

The graphic below, provided by the NCAA, gives us some helpful signs to be on the lookout
for. Let’s remove the stigma around mental illness, recognize it, and get these young people the help they deserve.

KEY
POINTS:

• It’s estimated that about 30% of collegiate student-athletes have experienced overwhelming anxiety.

• Anxiety and depression,
when untreated, have negative effects on quality of life, physical health, and also lead to increased sport injury risk.

• Early recognition and treatment are critical, helpful
tips are provided in the attached graphic from the NCAA (link).

While teaching at the university level, there were a number of studies citing the high percentage of college students (45%) that had acute episodic anxiety. This was in the early 2,000’s. I’m not without empathy, but the real tragedy is not addressing the fragility of so many young people.